Angelus Vitae
by Rinnu500
Summary: She did not run. He did not falter. Once more she was trapped. Trapped within his arms. What has fate got in store for her this time around? [Sequel to Angelus Mortis] ReaderxKizami Yuuya (Book Of Shadows-verse with a twist!)
1. The One of Memory

**Ritsu: *shamefully stares at incomplete chapter 16* … I'll get to that. Oh, and I had no idea that a Corpse Party 2 was already out (though only one chapter). I thought Blood Drive would be the next installment, to be honest. So ofc I watched a playthrough, along with a playthrough of a part of Hysteric Birthday. I laughed so hard I cried. Anyways!**

**Time to explain some things: **

**Angelus Vitae means Angel of life. The polar opposite of Angelus Mortis (Angel of death). Or so google tells me, anyway. This refers to the reader as Angelus Mortis refers to Kizami. **

**In BOS the story… begins anew, from the fated day when Ayumi and co perform the charm. However, Satoshi remembers what happened in the school and Naomi remembers to some extent as the story goes on. (I don't quite remember, ok? I'm gonna replay it soon, if I can find my psp…) **

**Much like AM, this will follow the basic plot with twists (a lot different this time around). You'll see what I mean. Oh, and Rea-Chan remembers some of the things that happened, but not everything.**

**One last thing: I've begun drawing up Rea-chan's friends (Kiriko is the only one done so far) as well as giving a short description of them and their cause of death during Angelus Mortis. Would you like for me to link you guys to them, as I finish them? **

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><p>You stared helplessly as the purple paper doll was brought out and placed onto the table. When the idea had been suggested, you had initially felt like it was a good thing, but it didn't take long before you started having dreams.<p>

Terrible dreams of a school full of bodies and someone with a red jacket. Slowly, over time, the dreams began to make sense. You weren't dreaming of random things, no. The dreams weren't dreams at all. They were memories.

Once you realized this, you tried to convince your friends the charm was simply a silly thing and it wouldn't mean anything. And yet on that fated day you found yourself tearing off a scrap from the doll, chanting with the others.

"_Sachiko-San, onegaishimasu…_"

Your gut told you to say it one more time, but your voice wouldn't work.

Worried faces glanced at you as a single tear ran down your cheek.

The horror was about to begin anew, and you had been powerless to stop it.

Kiriko gasped in pain next to you, her lungs no doubt hurting just as much as yours were. The two of you had woken up in a restroom a few minutes ago, quick to try and leave the room. As you opened the door, however, you heard the sound of something snapping. A wire, you guessed, which had led to a contraption above the door you hadn't noticed.

"[Nickname]-chan! Look! Above the door!" Kiriko had exclaimed and the two of you watched in horror as a spark of some sort set the door on fire. The flames quickly formed a wall of fire in the doorway before spreading over the walls towards the stalls. While the flames seemed to be constricted to the doorway and the stalls for the moment, the smoke would surely kill you if you didn't get out soon.

Covering your mouth you coughed loudly, your throat sore.

"Dammit!" Kiriko yelled, smashing her fist into a wall. She wouldn't have admitted it out loud, had someone asked her, but she quickly came to the same conclusion as you.

The only way out was through the fire.

Your previous belief soon turned out to be wrong, as well. The flames began traversing across the floor, herding you like cattle on their way to the slaughter.

"We have to jump through the doorway! It's the only way!" you spoke, letting out a cough. More smoke entered your lungs and you felt another coughing fit was on its way.

Had you been with someone else, you would've expected them to think you were mad. Kiriko, however, simply nodded and ran at the doorway, jumping through. You could hear her groan in pain, no doubt burnt by the fire, as she reached the other side she quickly began hitting at the flames licking her clothes, successfully putting them out. Her breathing was heavy from exertion and pain, but she gave you an encouraging look and motioned for you to follow.

Glancing behind you, you noticed how close the flames had gotten. _This is my only chance…_

You ran, your legs feeling numb and motionless. The moment you touched the flames, however, a searing pain erupted throughout your legs and spreading to your torso. Instead of landing on your feet like Kiriko had, you lost your footing due to the pain and collapsed onto the floor, twitching and groaning in pain. Kiriko had quickly removed her jacket and used it to put out the fire hurting you, sweating profusely as she was crouched down beside you. The two of you remained on the floor for quite some time, too tired to move.

It was as if the few minutes within the restroom had sapped you completely of energy. Once your breathing calmed and the pain had reduced to a mere stinging feeling you slowly got up.

_It's not the same, _you concluded, your mind no longer in disarray. You couldn't quite remember what had happened the first time, but you were certain it hadn't been this. A flash of red invaded your mind and you frowned. _That red jacket… just what does it mean..? Who is that person…? Why do I… feel so weird whenever I think about it?_

Shaking your head to rid it of such thoughts, you decided to focus on the current situation instead. Kiriko was staring at the restroom you came from, a look of frustration on her face.

"The fire's out," she stated, her tone dripping with anger.

_She's toying with us._

Your eyes widened.

_She?… She, who..?_

You tried to remember, but your head remained blank. A sigh left your lips. _No point dwelling on it, I guess. It'll come to me eventually._

"Let's try to find the others. They can't be too far away," you spoke, gaining a nod. A quick search of the floor you were on proved fruitless and you quickly descended the stairs you had found close to the restroom you had woken up in. Kiriko had initially run up the stairs to the third floor, only to find the one door upstairs to be locked.

Your steps seemed to echo off the walls, making it sound as if there were more of you than there actually were. The sound made you shiver and you ran your hands up and down your arms quickly to try and shake off the chilling feeling. Kiriko gave you a sympathetic look but there was little she could do. She felt just as chilled to the bone as you did.

As you reached the very last step you noticed it creaked quite loudly. Too loudly, you concluded. As Kiriko continued walking, heading forward towards the door, she stopped and glanced back at you in question. Too busy trying to stick your hand into the small crevice you had found on the step, you remained oblivious to her stare. Something was shimmering in the darkness, and you wanted it. Pulling up your sleeve you stuck your hand further into the hole, attempting to grasp the shimmering object. Your fingers enclosed themselves around the object after some struggle, and you brought it out into the light.

"A pipe…?" you mumbled in surprise, having expected a key or some object of significance. Kiriko had crouched down next to you during your battle against the pipe, looking at it with slight fascination.

"It's pretty thin for a metal pipe. Not very long either. Maybe it's a piece of a bigger one?"

"Yeah, maybe… I think we should bring it along, regardless."

Kiriko agreed and the two of you decided she would carry it.

A loud yell was heard from above, no doubt on the floor above you, and the sound of rushed steps heading down the stairs was heard. Without hesitation, Kiriko grabbed your hand and began sprinting towards the door, slamming it open and continuing forward. You would've told her to be silent if you hadn't figured whatever it was that screamed already knew you were there.

"Dammit, we need to find someplace to hide, and quick!"

The two of you ran past a couple of lockers and a door you assumed led outside. The chains on it and the big padlock quickly assured you there was no point trying to leave that way. This time you found yourselves in a corridor full of rooms. The two of you temporary split up and began pulling at the doors, but to no avail.

The screams came closer.

A sudden idea struck you.

"W-why don't we play dead?"

The two of you didn't have time to discuss your idea further as the door down the hall from you was shaking from the impact of something heavy hitting it. Without further consideration the two of you threw yourselves on the floor in an attempt to make a believable 'heap' of bodies. It looked odd and out of place, but running had gotten you nowhere and neither of you had any better ideas at the time.

By some miracle it had worked. Or perhaps it had been a curse that it had worked. A quick death might have saved you from the horrors yet to come.

The steps faded away and the screams, now reduced to groans, with them.

Hesitantly the two of you got up.

"I can't believe it worked…"

"Yeah, but I sure am glad it did…"

A realization seemed to hit you, and you stared at Kiriko in sudden surprise.

"Kiriko-San… how come you haven't wondered where we are? I mean… when I suggested we look for everyone you agreed without even questioning where we are… or why…"

A smile was sent your way.

"It doesn't matter where we are. I'm going to get us out of here, one way or another. Focusing on finding everyone is the important thing right now. After that we can worry about where we are."

Deeming the answer to be satisfactory, and a very 'Kiriko' kind of answer, you began heading towards a set of stairs, just in front of you.

"I guess it makes sense to have more than one set of stairs…" you mumbled absentmindly. What struck you as odd was how you felt strangely sad. In your dreams, or memories –as they were-, the halls had been littered with bodies. Halls that looked quite similar to the ones you'd been through. What mystified you was why you felt sad about it.

_It's… probably nothing…_

Stopping by the stairs the two of you sat down on one of the lower steps.

"I think our best bet is to find a key for that padlock," Kiriko stated, gaining a nod from you.

"We should probably check out what's at the top of these stairs, since we haven't been there. Maybe we'll find a key there."

Another nod from you.

"Then let's go. We'd best not waste any time. If Lia's not around Yosuke or Hatori she'll probably end up having a panic attack or something, and we don't want that."

At the back of your head you noted you would probably do the same if you had been alone.

Having returned to the second floor using the new stairs, you found yourself in a corridor not very different from the one below. The rooms appeared to be locked her as well, which annoyed you greatly. It only made matters worse when the lights turned off. However, when passing by one of the rooms you couldn't help but notice that there were definitely voices coming from within the room.

Kiriko glanced at you, confirming she had heard them too. She raised the iron pipe in her left hand, tightening her grip. If someone dangerous was in there, she wasn't about to let them hurt either of you. She signaled you to get behind her with her other hand. Without question, you obliged.

Steps approached the door and it slowly creaked open. Kiriko held onto the pipe with both of her hands now, taking a step back. The two of you stopped behind a marble statue of some kind, which provided some cover. The room was dark and you could barely make out the silhouettes of what you assumed were people within. One of them was significantly taller than the others and was the first one to leave the room. Had it not been for the bright white shirt you probably wouldn't have seen what you assumed was a male, when he left the room. Kiriko's and your own pink bright jacket left you visible as well.

However, the group of four seemed to remain oblivious to you as they glanced down the hallway in the opposite direction of where you were.

"About damn time we got out of that fucking room," one of them spoke. Upon closer inspection you could tell he had somewhat spiky red hair. Something glimmered. _An earring, maybe?_

Or a weapon. You couldn't be sure. Kiriko seemed to be thinking of the latter, as she tightened her grip on the pipe to the point where her knuckles turned white.

"I can't see a thing out here… We'd better be careful or we might get separated," you heard a feminine voice say, confirming two males and one female so far. Considering the height and silhouette of the fourth person, you assumed it to be female as well. Your assumption was quickly confirmed when she spoke.

"I wonder where the others are…"

The tall one spoke next.

"They're probably grouped up like us, so they should be fine."

The girls murmured in agreement, but the redheaded male simply scoffed. _Great… he seems like a nice guy._

A voice kept nagging you in the back of your head, telling you one of the voices was familiar.

A flash of red.

The tall one turned around. A bolt of lightning flashed outside, lighting up the corridor for a mere second.

A white shirt, red jacket slung over the shoulder.

Your eyes widened.

"Ki…za..m…i..?" you mumbled out loud, quickly slapping your hands over your mouth, realizing your mistake.

Kiriko remained silent but she took a small step backwards.

While it probably sounded like an incoherent mutter to the group, they had definitely heard you say something.

The tall one took a step closer.

"Is someone there?"

You remained silent.

He took another step towards your hiding spot. Considering the intense look towards you direction, he had probably spotted your pink jackets behind the white statue.

"K-Kizami-kun… be careful!"

He continued to advance towards you hiding spot at a steady pace.

Kiriko signaled you to be ready to run. Neither of you knew of their intentions and she'd rather the two of you remain on your own than team up with strangers. However, he soon was accompanied by the other male, who, despite his earlier arrogance (as you had deemed it), seemed to take his role as a 'man' seriously enough for the situation at hand.

Two on two. Things weren't looking good.

The moment the two got close enough, Kiriko swung the pipe towards the closest one.

The redhead.

Some part of him must've been expecting it, because he managed to catch the pipe in his hands, letting out a curse as he did so. Kiriko tried to pull it out of his grip but failed to do so. She glanced back at you before looking to her side, seeing the other male heading for you. Using all of her strength, she pushed the redhead backwards, making him stumble and lose his grip. She swung towards the taller male who easily stopped the pipe with one hand, using the other to grab ahold of Kiriko's arm. She turned her head towards you.

"RUN!"

And you did, hearing the redhead utter another curse before his steps hastened to follow you. Your breaths came out in short ragged ones, your stamina already letting up. You were a fairly quick runner, but only in short bursts. It didn't take long before the redhead caught up. He grabbed ahold of your arm pulling you back towards him. You let out a noise of pain as your back smacked into his chest.

"Got you!"

He practically dragged you back, ignoring your whimpers the entire way. When you were back in the corridor, the lights were back on and you could see the group clearly. 'Kizami' had a good grip on Kiriko, but unlike your case she didn't seem to be in any pain. Just your luck to get stuck with the violent captor. The two girls looked somewhat sympathetic, but said nothing.

"Not much of a runner, are you?" the redhead spoke to you in a mocking tone. Instead of replying you brought your leg up, promptly kicking him in his nether regions. He let go of you with a curse, grabbing onto jewels for dear life. Next you did what Hatori had taught you to do, should someone try to have their way to you.

You performed a quick roundhouse kick, your foot hitting the side of his face, knocking him to the ground. Of course, you ruined the sudden tension by grabbing at your skirt, pulling it down with a red face. A small whimper left your lips. _I probably flashed him my underwear!_

Kiriko found herself impressed with the strength of your kick, but flabbergasted when your mood did a 180.

"Aah… you looked so cool but then you ruined it [Nickname]-chan…" she muttered, a troubled look on her face. You turned around and gave her an apologetic look, ignoring the strangers. The girls expressed some concern for their classmate, but made no move to help him. He remained on the floor, cursing and going on about how he'd 'mess you up'.

You filtered out his voice from your mind.

"Pl-please let go of my friend…" you spoke, stumbling over your words for a moment. 'Kizami' gave you a calculating look.

"If I do, are you going to run off?"

You shook your head almost in complete synch with Kiriko.

"Alright then…" he spoke, about to let go of her when one of the girls, her hair in a ponytail, spoke up.

"Kizami-kun, are you sure?"

He nodded, letting Kiriko go. She instantly rushed to you, checking you for injuries. You suspected you'd get a bruise on your wrist, but otherwise you ensured her you were fine in a quiet voice. Once the redhead got up she gently pushed you behind her, giving him a nasty glare.

"You stay away from her," she practically growled. He gave you a glare that surely would have killed you, if looks could kill.

"What are your names?"

Kiriko reluctantly gave him her name, but remained silent when asked for yours. You remained behind her, trying not to stare at 'Kizami'. He seemed familiar. You had even uttered his name without thinking!

_Why… Ugh… Have I met him before..?_

Your head felt like it was splitting open, and you groaned, grabbing your head with your hands. Your knees buckled from beneath you and you fell, using your arms to steady yourself.

"[Nickname]-chan!"

You grabbed at your head again. _It hurts! I feel sick!_

Without warning you heaved before emptying the contents of your stomach on the floor. Your eyesight was blurry and you felt dizzy. Someone held your hair up for you and Kiriko had her hands on your shoulders, saying something comforting.

You heaved again, this time drops of crimson leaving your lips.

"[N-Nickname]-chan..!"

You gasped for air, squeezing your eyes shut. You didn't want to see the mess you'd made. It only made you feel even sicker. Sweat was pouring down your face and neck, making them feel sticky and warm.

Another flash of red upon white.

Your breathing finally calmed and you slowly opened your eyes, meeting a concerned gaze.

"Are you alright?"

As you stared into a pair of dark eyes, the voice inside your head told you that now was the moment to run and never look back.

He offered you his hand.

Your smaller hand was enveloped in his.

"… I'm [Name]."

_And you're Kizami Yuuya…_

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><p><strong>Ritsu: 3000+ words. I'd say that's a pretty long first chapter. If you have any questions, feel free to let me know in a review! I'll try to answer your reviews this time around (Did a terrible job with AM and answering reviews, but I had like 50 reviews on another site to reply to as well...)<strong>

**I'll start by explaining some stuff that might have confused you, however.**

**Kai, Tohko, Mitsuki and Kizami awoke separated from the other Byuakudan students, obviously. This is one of many twists I'm making... To be honest, chances are it won't follow the plot of BOS that much at all, but then again BOS is usually just what if's and backstory. I will be including some of the things that happens in BOS though. Mainly from the [Tooth] chapter, for obvious reasons (to those who've played the game, anyway).**

**It's 07:30 AM and I haven't slept today so I might be forgetting something. **


	2. The Two Fools of Fate

**Ritsu: Links to character profiles can be found on my profile, just beneath the Angelus Vitae info! Hatori, Lia and Kiriko's done so far~ I also got fanart for Kiriko! I'll link it in my profile as well. By the by, Hysteric Birthday is such a masterpiece. I'm loving it. Also, can't wait for Blood Drive to be released in English. Need to get myself a Vita !**

**Also, I do not mean to sound greedy, but… if you favorite and follow, please do leave a review or at least consider it. I appreciate every follow and favorite, but getting a review means a lot too. Whether it's critique to help me write better or simply someone telling me they liked the chapter. At least consider leaving a review if you liked it, that's all I ask. Ily you guys.**

**TLDR; Reviews motivate me to update faster. And this made me sound like a butt, whoops.**

**Chapter is late due to me being at a 4 day convention, my hamster dying, a supposed friend being an idiot (thus putting me in a mood where writing was nigh impossible), strange coming and going stomach cramps, sweat and tears due to stupid insecurities, a three day vacation and headaches due to the intense heat. Enjoy!**

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><p>The first thing they'd asked you when you'd calmed down was if you'd taken part in a Sachiko Ever After charm. You had nodded silently, not fully trusting your voice. Looking back on it, it had suddenly made a lot of sense. You became sick, dizzy and got a terrible headache. Then it all had come rushing back to you. When performing the charm you had felt sick too, before remembering.<p>

Quite frankly you wished you hadn't remembered. Not just because you knew you wouldn't be getting any food for quite some time (as the process had emptied your stomach), but also because most of the memories weren't happy ones.

And it made things oh so difficult.

You were certain Kizami had caught you staring at him more than once by now, but at least he didn't call you out.

_He died. All of them died. I think, anyway. Him, Kurosaki… and all of my friends… I'm not sure what's going on anymore…_

"[Nickname]-chan?"

Upon hearing Kiriko's voice you raised you head, looking at her in confusion.

"Do you remember what kind of padlock that was on the door?"

"Hmm… I don't quite remember… but… it didn't have the typical keyhole shape. That much I'm sure of."

"Tch," you heard Shimada scoff.

The redhead made sure you knew how much he loathed having you there, still upset about getting beat up, no doubt. You didn't care. You were far more worried about the other male in the group.

Kiriko had seemingly made some sort of arrangement with the Byakudan students, agreeing to work with them for the time being. She'd been given back the pipe you found after promising not to attack anyone. You had a feeling she would easily break that promise, however, if she found out about Kizami.

She would believe you.

She always did.

You took a shaky breath, trying to rid your head of the chaotic thoughts that swirled within. A hand was placed on your shoulder. You jumped in slight shock, not expecting it.

"Hey… are you sure you're okay?"

Kizami.

You swallowed the lump in your throat and nodded, though he obviously saw through your lie. He gave you a questioning look, but remained quiet. _He doesn't seem to remember me… Is that a good thing… or a bad thing?_

You clenched your fists, a troubled look on your face. The rest of the group seemed to think you were troubled by the situation at hand, but there was much more to it than that. Two people seemed to realize this, but remained silent.

Eventually the group had searched through the entire wing, though cautious, and remained without a key. It didn't sit well with most of the group.

"You've got to be shitting me. We looked all over and found nothing! Waste of time, dammit!"

"Shimada-kun… you're not making it any better…"

Kiriko and you shared a look, ignoring the budding argument between Shimada and Mitsuki. You had quickly noticed Shimada was a very rude person and he seemed to be a delinquent kind of guy. Not that you would ever tell him that to his face.

As the argument behind you grew louder you couldn't help but notice that the corridor seemed darker.

"Hey, guys…" you spoke, trying to get their attention. You didn't want to turn around, afraid the sudden darkness would completely envelop you if you did. While Kiriko normally would've paid attention to you, she was surprisingly amused by the argument between the two classmates and didn't seem to even hear you. You were genuinely shocked when even Kizami seemed to not be paying attention.

"Guys..!" you tried again, your voice slightly louder this time. Kizami actually shuffled and came to stand beside you this time. Kiriko glanced at you before noticing what you had tried to tell them about.

"What the hell?!"

This got everyone's attention. But by the time they noticed it was already too late. You'd only closed your eyes for a second but as you opened them again you couldn't see anyone. You could hear their panicked voices, however. But because they were all shouting at the same time you couldn't make any sense of them.

You did notice someone reaching for you, however. You stepped back, narrowly avoiding the hand you suspected belonged to Kizami. _If we end up separated he'll interrogate me for sure!_

Your back hit someone else's back and you let out a yelp. The annoyed grunt pretty much confirmed you'd walked into Shimada. As if your luck couldn't get worse you'd stumbled over one of the many holes in the floor.

Letting out a scream you grabbed onto the nearest person, being Shimada, before your body promptly decided it was time to fall. While Shimada had certainly made his dislike for you obvious, he did have the decency to try and keep you from falling. However, as you had nothing below your feet to support your body with and he had been taken by surprise he was only able to keep his balance for a moment.

The two of you fell.

And just as you did, the sudden darkness seemed to disperse. You could only hopelessly meet the eyes of Kiriko, as she stood by the edge of the hole screaming your name.

All went dark.

Kiriko punched the floor with her fist, glaring down the seemingly endless pit.

"DAMMIT!"

The two girls of the Byakudan School stood next to her, worried looks on their faces. Kizami had a mysterious look on his face, but otherwise remained still.

"T-they're probably okay! R-right, Kizami-Kun?" Tohko began, looking at Kizami for confirmation.

Kizami said nothing, but gave a small nod.

_[Name]… why do you seem so familiar..? _

Kiriko refrained from reminding them they were on the second floor and even so hadn't seen an end to the hole.

You let out a groan, finding it difficult to breathe. As your eyes fluttered open you realized why, as Shimada had landed on top of you. You tried to gently push him off, but quickly halted upon glancing to the side. The two of you had landed in a small space and sharp spikes protruded from the walls. Like a coffin lined with deathtraps.

A groan broke you out of your thoughts, a sudden shuffle on top of you making your eyes widen.

"Don't move! There are spikes all over!" you warned quickly, Shimada coming to a quick stop. He glanced to the side to see that, in fact, you were telling the truth. He let out a string of curses, obviously annoying with the whole thing. His eyes met yours.

"Are there spikes above us too?"

You blinked before slightly tilting your head to the side to check. You let out a quiet 'no' once you had confirmed there were no spikes above you. However, boards supplied a makeshift ceiling, stopping you from exiting the deathtrap.

"There's a bunch of boards covering up the hole we came through, though…"

Shimada let out even more curses. If you hadn't been in such a bad situation, you would've laughed at his creative swears about Sachiko's mother and… Kizami..? You blinked, deciphering what Shimada had said.

"You… don't like Kizami much, do you?"

A pair of eyes met yours and narrowed as if insulted.

"You one of his brainless fangirls already?"

You shook your head.

"Not really… He's kind of creepy…" you muttered honestly. Of course, you couldn't deny your strange attraction to him, but you did find him creepy and you were certainly no fan of him.

Shimada let out a mocking chuckle. "He's so fuckin' annoying."

For the first time since the two of you had met, you actually found yourself letting out a chuckle alongside Shimada. At the very least, Shimada seemed to be somewhat sensible as he had silently agreed to a temporary alliance.

However, you still felt very uncomfortable with your position below him, not to mention the fact that he was definitely heavier than you. In fact, you were starting to feel a little squished. It didn't help that Shimada was the one on top of you, either. Not that you'd rather have Kizami on top of you, but Shimada did strike you as sort of a pervert. Though when you thought about it, Shimada felt a lot warmer than Kizami did.

_He is kind of handsome… But I'm not stupid… Well, most of the time…_

You stared at Shimada silently, meeting his stare. Neither of you said anything, but he seemed to grow more annoyed continuously. He opened his mouth to say something when he abruptly stopped himself upon hearing the sound of footsteps. The two of you stiffened and you glanced through the small cracks between the boards above you.

When a bloodshot eye met your gaze you let out a scream of surprise, jolting in shock. You felt a sharp prick of pain on your left arm, but grew oblivious of it. Shimada let out a curse before glancing upwards, his eyes widening. The owner of the eye let out a groan before disappearing from your view. You let out a shuddering breath, suddenly aware of the pain in your arm once more.

"Dammit… I pricked my arm on the spikes…" you muttered, wanting nothing more than to check out your arm. Sadly, the circumstances did not allow you to do so.

Shimada was oddly quiet, before suddenly speaking.

"Oi, you're shaking."

You blinked, realizing that he was telling the truth. _But.. I'm not cold, and while I was surprised by that… eye… I don't feel scared…_

Your eyes widened slightly.

"I… I think the spikes might be poisoned…" you mumbled, swallowing the lump in your throat. _I don't understand why I'm shaking though… _

Shimada let out a few curses, obviously even further annoyed by the situation now that he had a poisoned girl to deal with. You let out a quiet sigh.

"Now what…?" you muttered, your voice laced with frustration and a sudden grogginess.

When Shimada began to answer you, however, you noticed that while his lips certainly moved, the words he spoke sounded like twenty people talking at the same time.

You couldn't make sense of a single word he said.

… _The poison…? It's this fast acting…?_

Your eyes started to close, and while you certainly didn't feel very comfortable around Shimada… a part of you felt safe having him there.

With that, your eyes closed fully and all went dark. In the back of your mind, Shimada's words seemed to echo, continuously lulling you into a deeper sleep.

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><p><strong>Ritsu: I know, it's not that long, not that exciting and it's so incredibly late I can't even begin to say sorry… But from now on I have better ideas on what to do with this story (as I've had plenty of ideas thought out, though none of them could be put into action in this chapter). … I'll also try not to be distracted by drawing too much. Anyway, enjoy! Next chapter will be longer, I pwomise!<strong>


	3. The Three Musketeers

**Ritsu: Alright, so in this chapter there's a reference to a certain anime which I absolutely love. I tried to make it a bit tricky though! Whoever that can first tell me the name of the anime in question will get the honorable honor… of an OC in this story~ Or a oneshot, if you'd prefer that. I am making the restriction that it's got to be either Corpse Party related, or related to the anime I'm referencing.**

**Sorry about that~ Anyway, enjoy the chapter~**

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><p>When you awoke, you had expected to still be squished below Shimada in the tight space you'd fell into. You had not been expecting to wake up in a bed, and definitely not next to a complete stranger. Upon closer inspection of the room you were in, you couldn't help but feel slightly creeped out. It appeared to be some sort of infirmary, considering no classroom would have beds. The person next to you let out a quiet groan, catching your attention. Their entire body was covered by a blanket but you slowly pulled the blanket away, revealing their face.<p>

The person, a young man who probably had a few more years on him than you, remained unconscious. _I guess he groaned in his sleep… bad dreams, maybe?_

You couldn't help but think it'd make perfect sense if it was a bad dream. In fact, it surprised you that no nightmares had tormented you. Feeling slightly guilty you moved the blanket further down the man's body, eyes widening slightly upon seeing his clothing, or lack thereof.

_There is a naked man next to me._

_There is a NAKED man right NEXT to me._

You suddenly felt very awkward, scooting closer to the wall. A drop of sweat ran down your face. _And… just where is Shimada?_

Another groan left the lips of the stranger. This time, you watched his eyes flutter open. His gaze met yours silently. You weren't sure how long the two of you simply stared at eachother quietly, but eventually the man decided to break the silence.

"My name's Mikael."

"You're not wearing any clothes."

"Ah…"

For a moment, you actually considered lending him your skirt. But you quickly realized that would just be weird.

Mikael gave you a sudden grin though.

"Oh, it's cool, still got underwear on. You didn't pull the blanket down enough to see, that's all!"

A blush erupted on your cheeks.

"Of _course_ I didn't pull the blanked all the way down!"

"Whoa, no need to get angry! Sheesh…"

"I'm not _angry_."

Upon receiving an annoyed glare from you, Mikael awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry, I guess it would be pretty weird if you had done something like that…" he noted, a seemingly friendly smile on his face. You nodded quickly, crossing your arms. _So he has some shame! Honestly… I would __**never**__… _

"So…" Mikael spoke, a curious pout on his face.

"How'd we get here anyway?"

"Sachiko charm."

"I-I know _that_. I meant this room…"

"Through the door."

"You're totally angry!"

You had to admit that messing with him actually lightened your mood somewhat. And he did deserve it, in your opinion. His green eyes met yours again as he gave you a sad pout, eyebrows furrowed.

"I only remember passing out alongside a friend of mine… and then I woke up here… So… did you bring me here?" he asked, scratching his cheek. You shook your head, letting out a sigh.

"To begin with, I couldn't even hope to have enough strength to carry you anywhere. Secondly, I passed out too… so I don't know either…" you explained, deciding to let the poor guy off the hook. He let out a 'hmm', now stroking his chin. As he was lost in thought you decided to actually take a proper look at him. The room wasn't very well lit, so you couldn't see very far, but since he was in front you it didn't matter much.

He had a bit of stubble on his chin, but it paled in comparison to his rather long haired which was gathered in a ponytail on the back of his head. His hair looked like a light blonde color and you briefly wondered if he'd dyed it.

_Well… he said his name was Mikael… Assuming he wasn't lying, he's probably not Japanese… So I guess his blonde hair isn't __**that**__ weird… I'd say he's around… twenty, maybe?_

Deciding not to ponder on unnecessary things further, you carefully scooted past Mikael and stood up. Ignoring Mikael's questioning gaze you took a better look around the room. A suspicious glimmer caught your attention and you quickly approached the desk not too far from you. While there was a mysterious book on the desk, you ignored it and picked up what you quickly discovered was some sort of key. _The key to the padlock…?_

Not having any pockets on your jacket, you slipped the key into your shoe before turning to look at Mikael again.

"I want to go look for the person I was with before I passed out. You can stay here if you want," you spoke, trying your hardest not to blush as the underwear clad Mikael stood up. You took it as a sign that he wanted to go with you and while you wanted to protest no words left your lips as the two of you left the room. Of course, once you realized you were now in the wrong building a sudden feeling of annoyance and dread struck you. Letting out a quiet sigh you began walking down the corridor to your right, not checking to see if Mikael followed as you could hear his somewhat quiet steps behind you.

_If both of us got separated from the people we were with… I assume that Shimada and Mikael's friend are probably together…_

Considering how quick Mikael had been to follow you, he probably had come to the same conclusion or he was just the puppy kind of person. For some reason you felt strongly it was mainly the latter. _I can almost see a tail wagging if I imagine it hard enough…_

The thought did bring a small smile to your face. Using your memories of the first time you'd been here you trekked back to the location where you remembered the way to the second building was. Instead of the door you expected what met you was a wall. You felt something in your head snap, your left eye twitching.

Mikael took a nervous step backwards, worried about the seemingly dark aura radiating off of you. A drop of sweat rolled down his face.

You reminded him far too much of his mother on a bad day.

When Shimada Kai had watched [Name] pass out, a small part of him actually felt a tinge of worry. When a sledgehammer came from above and hit his head a large part of him felt pain. And just before he passed out as well, he wondered if he'd ever wake up again.

When his eyes fluttered open and he felt an intense flaring pain on the back of his head he realized he was alive. He also realized he was no longer with [Name]. Getting up slowly, due to not wanting to get even dizzier, he looked around the area.

Not that it was much of an area to speak of. _A closet? A fucking closet? _

Shimada was definitely getting sick of small spaces.

The closet, or whatever it was supposed to be, was incredibly dark with only a single candle illuminating the walls. The small flame kept flickering, threatening to go out.

When the door opened and something heavy was thrown onto Shimada, the flame did go out. But not before Shimada caught a glimpse of a blue light outside of the door and a single eye, staring at him silently. The door was slammed shut and Shimada threw the weight to the side, feeling something sticky and warm on his hands.

Shimada had gotten into fights before and the feeling was familiar.

"God fucking dammit."

The _body_ he'd thrown to the side remained motionless.

The candle mysteriously flickered to life again, shedding light unto the body.

_I'm sharing a closet with a corpse. And my head's still bleeding._

"At this rate it'll end up a corpse party…"

The room went dark again.

You let out a frustrated noise, finding yourself back in the same place you'd been in before.

"This stupid corridor just leads us back to the start!" you exclaimed loudly, slamming your foot into the floor in anger. Mikael watched you silently. He hadn't spoken much since you'd left the infirmary, but you were too tired to care. Whatever had been in the spikes that had made you pass out was making itself known again, gradually having made you groggier. It brought back memories of Kizami giving you a piggyback ride and a part of you didn't mind meeting him again just to have him carry you.

_It feels like my legs are overcooked noodles… But no way am I asking that under-weirdo to carry me…_

Though you quickly realized Kizami wasn't exactly a better choice. A sigh left your lips.

_I am _so_ messed up…_

Looking to your left, you stared at the suspicious bloodstained door. The corridor forcing you to go back to the same place, in front of that door, struck you as odd at first. After a few tries you couldn't help but feel tempted to open the door, yet you feared what could be hiding behind it.

Mikael, however, had no worry for the unknown and walked up to the door.

"Chances are, unless we open this we'll be stuck here forever… so," he spoke, slowly opening the door.

Your eyes widened at the familiar redhead propped up against the wall inside and you quickly pushed past Mikael and crouched next to Shimada. To be fair, you didn't exactly consider Shimada as a friend, or even as a proper acquaintance, but he was a familiar face. His eyes were only half open and it took him a while before he recognized you, but once he did he pulled you in for a hug. Being awkwardly pulled onto Shimada, your head next to his, you couldn't help but notice the metallic smell you'd grown far to accustomed to in this place.

_Blood… that would explain why he looks so out of it…_

"Shimada..?" you awkwardly mumbled, slight worry in your voice. Said male only gave a quiet grunt to show he heard you, but he didn't relinquish his hold on you. Even when you heard a yell from Mikael and wanted to turn around, he only held you tighter, refusing to let you check on the other male.

"Aya! Aya! Hey, open your eyes!"

You wondered briefly if the 'Aya' person was the friend he'd mentioned, concluding it to be so when his yells grew more desperate. _Shimada must've known she was… dead. There's no way he wouldn't have noticed that, at least… So he didn't want me to see the body..?_

If you'd seen the corpse, you definitely would've understood why Shimada had decided to keep you from looking. The girl, Aya, was barely recognizable. Her face had seemingly been ripped off and both of her eyes had been reduced to mush. Her arms were brutally slashed, cuts running down them like stripes. Her legs were completely cut off, instead, and white stumps of bone could be seen.

Shimada honestly wondered how the hell Mikael could ever think she'd be alive.

You could hear a shuffling noise, then a dragging noise. Was Mikael moving the body? It struck you as odd, but you didn't question it. When Shimada let out an angry yell, however, you were finally let go and you turned around only to see Mikael close the door, a furious look on his face. A clicking noise alerted you to the door being locked.

_He thinks Shimada did it._

Your eyes widened before narrowing. Standing up, you rushed to the door, slamming your fists on it.

"Open the door!"

You received no answer.

The door hadn't been locked before, nor did it even appear to have a lock. And yet…

"Mikael!"

The young man remained silent and the sound of footsteps getting quieter let you know he was leaving.

"Fuckin' psycho…" Shimada muttered, still propped up against the wall. This time, you actually muttered an agreement with him, sitting down next to Shimada.

"Like a machine…" you mumbled, receiving a confused and slightly frustrated look from Shimada.

"Judging based on how you appear… not even caring about making a decision for himself. Ugh…"

_If he actually looked for himself instead of just blaming Shimada purely for being here… he'd realize he's being stupid! You can't let circumstances be the judge… There's no way Shimada killed that girl! Instead of persecuting someone instantly because of how they look… or think… it's just not right…_

You could hear Shimada muttering curses beside you and while you wanted to ask if he was really okay, you didn't. There grew to be a silence between you, neither of you in a mood to talk.

_Stuck in a tight space… again. God, I hate this place…_


	4. The Four Traitors

**Ritsu: Almost no one interested in the contest? Or did you guys miss the author note? Was it too hard? D: (Here's a hint; the reference is something Rea-chan says in the previous chapter) Regardless, check the previous chapter if you have no idea what I mean. Anyway, onwards!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Corpse Party. If I did, Blood Drive and Hysteric Birthday would already be out in English!**

**Oh, and for some reason I think you will like this chapter. … Maybe. It's a bit short and very late, please forgive me. Finally got my writing back into gear after watching the end of Hysteric Birthday~**

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><p>The door leading outside remained locked, leaving you and Shimada shivering in the increasingly colder room. One thing you felt relieved about was the fact that at least Kiriko hadn't been the one stuck in the room with you. While she was your dear friend, she suffered from claustrophobia and you'd been stuck in an elevator with her before which was far from fun. It couldn't have been very good for her health either, which you knew had caused her to be bedridden for weeks in the past.<p>

You let out a sigh.

"Sorry…" you mumbled, trying your hardest not to stutter due to the cold. Shimada merely let out a noncommittal grunt, glaring at the door. You couldn't help but feel guilty as you had been the one to bring Mikael here in the first place. Then again, it didn't change the fact that you felt furious at the young man's actions.

You glanced at Shimada, said teen meeting your glance.

"Is your head okay?" you asked quietly, remembering that it had been bleeding before. Shimada merely answered with another grunt, going back to glaring at the door. And so you promptly shuffled in front of him and took ahold of his head before forcing him to look down. He started protesting but quickly shut his mouth once he glanced up and noticed your chest in front of his face.

You had a focused look on your face, parting his hair to the sides to try to get a better look at his wound. You noted it wasn't bleeding anymore, but it certainly looked painful. Your eyes widened slightly in surprise upon seeing his red locks full of dirt.

_Was he dragged outside..? That doesn't make any sense…_

You absentmindly began running your fingers through his locks, removing the small clots of dirt in his hair. It made you oddly calm, and Shimada had no thoughts of complaining considering the view. He'd also never admit it felt kinda nice to have you brush his hair, even if it was only to get some dirt out of it.

"Well… it's not bleeding anymore, so that's good," you mumbled, staring at a patch of dried blood. While you felt inclined to pick at it, you didn't want to risk making Shimada bleed again. You were well aware head injuries were very dangerous.

Being this close to Shimada, you noticed the cold was a bit more bearable. And so, while you felt a bit guilty for doing it, you gently let go of Shimada's head before putting your arms around him, hugging him, and burying your head in the crook of his neck. To anyone else, it might've seemed romantic. To you, you just really hated the cold and Shimada was kind of warm. You hadn't missed how he'd been staring at your chest the entire time, so you knew chances were he'd let you be.

_It's good to be a girl, sometimes…_

Lo and behold, Shimada didn't move a muscle. You couldn't see the look on his face, but the slight increase in temperature made you assume you'd actually made him blush. And you did feel some satisfaction in knowing that you could still make guys blush.

_Girls: 1. Boys: 0 _[1]

You weren't quite sure when you'd fallen asleep but when you came to again, you found yourself situated on top of Shimada, who was sprawled on the floor, sound asleep. He had one arm lazily draped over your lower back and the other was situated on the floor next to him. Your own arms were no longer embracing him, but were instead splayed on his chest. You carefully got up, not wanting to wake Shimada up. Noticing your skirt had slightly hitched upwards, your eye twitched.

_Did he try to feel me up when I was sleeping?_

Deciding not to ponder what may or may not have happened while you slept, you instead tried tugging at the door, letting out a tired sigh when it once again didn't move. You heard Shimada shuffle around behind you, no doubt turning over in his sleep now that your weight wasn't holding him down. Feeling the cold seeping through your uniform, you began rubbing your hands up and down your arms, trying to regain some warmth. While you definitely didn't like the idea of snuggling up next to Shimada again (you didn't want him to get the wrong idea, after all) you did miss the warmth he provided.

_I wonder… if Kizami remembered everything, how would he react?_

Letting out a quiet chuckle upon imagining Kizami's reaction, you quickly grow silent once more before frowning.

_Why am I even joking about such a thing. He'd probably kill Shimada, considering how obsessed he seemed to be…_

Shaking your head to rid yourself of the image, you backed away from the door and, using what power you could muster, rammed the door with your shoulder. Perhaps Sachiko took pity on you, or perhaps you'd simply gotten lucky, but as the door flew off its hinges you were leaning more towards the former. You certainly knew you lacked the power to do such a thing. Expecting Shimada to have woken up from the noise, you turned around only to spot him peacefully sleeping.

"… You can't be serious."

You carefully tried shaking him awake, switching to more rough shaking when he didn't react. He remained motionless, but the slow rise of his chest assured you he was alive, at least.

"… Wake up… I can't carry you around you know…"

No movement.

You let out another sigh. You couldn't simply leave Shimada in good conscience. _But if he doesn't wake up soon… the door might close again…_

The sound of steps approaching snapped you out of your thoughts and you quickly stood up, raising your hands and clenching your fists. You doubted you could overpower most of the people, or ghosts, but pretending to be able to filled you with some confidence.

As the steps grew louder you tried in vain to calm your beating heart. If anything, once you spotted the person the steps belonged to, your heart seemed to speed up even more.

"H-Hatori-kun..?"

The tall male stopped, glancing inside of the small space you stood in.

"…Hime-chan?"

The moment those words left his lips you leaped towards him, embracing him tightly.

"Hatori-kun! You're alive!"

Hatori. Your classmate, and self-proclaimed big bro.

"Hatori…" you let out a sob.

"Hime-chan… You're alright…"

The two of you remained still in silence for a while, before Hatori nodded towards Shimada's sleeping form.

"Friend of yours?"

"… Temporary ally, more like… I'll.. I'll explain everything…"

The two of you sat down and you told him of what had happened so far. Hatori remained silent throughout your explanation, only nodding occasionally to show he was still listening. Of course, you left out the memories you had of Kizami from what you assumed was a previous time in the school.

"I see… So Kiriko's fine too… I woke up with Yosuke and Lia-chan myself, but we got separated when this wall appeared out of nowhere between us. I've been alone since then…"

You nodded slowly, a small part of you relieved Yosuke and Lia were together. At least then, chances were greater they were alive and well. A voice in the back of your head told you Kiriko was most likely well too, as you felt confident that although she was around Kizami the rest of the students worked as a safety measure. Letting out a soft sigh of relief you looked back at Shimada.

"Uhmm… while I can't say I like him very much… I.. I don't want to leave him here, but I'm not strong enough to carry him…" you began mumbling, blinking when Hatori sent you a look of amusement.

"Gotcha, leave the piggybacking to me."

"… That sounds kind of wrong, Hatty."

"Well if you're offering to carry him I'm not gonna stop you."

"Ah, I retract my earlier statement, Hatori-kun. Please carry Shimada for me… _Onii-san._"

You knew it was a low blow to refer to him as big brother, but you also knew that he couldn't say no.

A small blush erupted on his cheeks and without a word he hoisted Shimada over his shoulder. When you needed him to do something for him, you did tend to appeal to his siscon side. _Though… considering Kizami was like this with Yuka… sort of… I feel a bit disturbed now._

"It'd be best if we could find the others… but I have no idea where to go…" you mumbled, walking in a random direction with Hatori next to you.

"We need to look out for that Mikael person as well…" Hatori noted, gaining a nod from you. While you didn't want to hurt him, he had left you and Shimada in the closet with the intention of letting you die.

"It'd be good if we could find Yosuke-kun and Lia-chan as well… Why don't we head where you were separated from them? Maybe we'll find a clue…" you spoke, giving Hatori a hopeful look. If anything, they were in greater danger than Kiriko. You did doubt Kizami would do anything with his classmates around. You hoped so with all your heart, at least.

"Hey, Hatori-kun…"

"Hmm?"

"… Do you regret performing the charm..?"

His answer was instantaneous.

"No."

A surprised look crossed your face.

"We wished to be friends forever. I'd never regret something like that. Of course, it's unfortunate that we ended up here… but, I would never regret our promise itself."

A warm feeling spread through your body.

_So I'm not… the only one that doesn't regret the charm. I just wish we hadn't ended up here… again…_

"… Thanks, Hatori-kun."

"Don't mention it, Hime-chan."

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><p>[1] Rea-tan has no romantic feelings for Shimada. She is literally only doing this to get warm. So she considers it a win when she wins Shimada over using her femaleness. So to say.<p> 


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